The Pantry Crest

The Pantry Crest has a nice relaxed and modern atmosphere. We ended up eating in the bar community table since there was a little wait. I started off with the Pineapple Express drink which was delicious. Then we had the truffled deviled eggs for an appetizer. I was really excited to try them since I saw recommendations on them but they were too salty to truly enjoy. Then my husband got the lasagna which was delicious and was presented nicely! I made him give me several bites. ;) I ordered the house made bratwurst with sauerkraut and potatoes. To be completely honest, it was not the best dish to order. The bratwurst has a particular spice that I just do not like so it was difficult to eat. I cannot pin point the spice, but it really doesn’t suit my taste. We did order the house made cheesecake for dessert which was amazing! It has crystallized sugar on top as a layer and the crust is to die for. Overall, for the price we paid I expected a little more from this restaurant but I’ll be giving the Pantry Crest another shot and updating my review later. I’ll chose an entrée that may better suit my tastes.

How have I not reviewed Pantry Crest?
Ok — all day Monday Happy Hour, delicious appetizers, great service, and really nice, cool relaxed yet classy space. Oh, the appetizers you ask? The fries come on a huge plate with curry ketchup and something white, the brussel sprouts are to die for, and the cheese spaetzl, baked bacon-​wrapped dates, and house made ricotta are standouts as well.
It’s German food, so lots of cheese, lots of potatoes, and more than a few dishes that sound like dessert but wind up being meat (Shnitzel, anyone?)
I could come here every night for a quick Happy Hour drink and a handful of appetizers, but the proper dinner food is also amazing. My personal favorite is the special «Rustic Bowl,» but everything I’ve had here has been absolutely delicious. My runner up I think is that Shnitzel. The name makes me chuckle because of my fifth-​grade sense of humor, but just the memory of that first forkful gets me hungry every time!
A heads-​up though: the parking, like much of Hillcrest, is awful. Really awful, so plan ahead a bit. It’s also a smaller building, so while it’s a really fantastic place to bring a group of ten or so, it’s a good idea to call ahead just to make sure there’s a big table open ;)

I’ve come here a couple times with my coworkers while staying in Little Rock, and we’ve been fans. The food is good, and there are a lot of options that we can’t find anywhere else in town. The beer selection is limited, but excellent. Service has been a little slow at times, but nothing crazy, very friendly regardless. We’ll be back!

I like the Pantry Crest a little more than its counterpart on Rodney Parham largely due to the ambience, but it does serve a different menu as well.
Pantry Crest has a much trendier feel, with a cool bar, split seating between upstairs and downstairs, and a few different dishes on the menu. You won’t find the svickova, but they do have the goulash and stock pot.
The seating area isn’t huge, so there can sometimes be a wait on the weekends, but generally you can get a table quickly, unless you have 6+

Just an awesome find. I was looking for an interesting place to get dinner, and boy did I find it! Interesting German and Eastern European fare, with a decent selection of beers; it’s sort of a mod-​gastropub in the best sense of that term. The Czech potato dumplings and roasted Brussels sprouts were amazing. The pickled vegetables were a great palate cleanser, and the Medite salad with chicken that I had was fresh, tasty and generously proportioned.
Definitely the best food and most interesting place I ate while in Little Rock.

Really nice casual or dressy, cool atmosphere for a dinner out on the town. Great service. Had the burger, sauerkraut, liver pâté, pickled veggies, fries (was sharing with z wife). Liked all the food. Nothing blew my socks off but everything was really good!
Oh– they have a hard copy vegetarian menu. This is an awesome feature that is extremely valued by vegetarians and gluten free people.

Great service. Really good food. Vegetarian friendly. Outdoor space was beautiful. It was a very relaxed environment.

THIS RESTAURANT is the BEST! It has quickly become one of my favorite places to dine in Little Rock. Every item (And I do mean EVERY ITEM) on the menu is sublime. However, there is one item that you and everyone you visit with MUST try: The breaded Jäger schnitzel. This is a lightly breaded, cooked to perfection, pork chop served over a bed of tiny potato dumplings. I made the mistake of not ordering this on my first visit to The Pantry. Upon trying my boyfriend’s meal, I realized that I definitely messed up.
As far as the service is concerned, John, our waiter was excellent. Our drinks were never empty and he was very knowledgeable as to what wine would pair well with our respective meals. I would return just for the Jäger Snitzel but the service that John provided us and our guests was the cherry on top of a perfect evening.

this has become a «usual» of mine for wine nights. My friend and I usually grab a happy hour cab special if we are meeting after work, or just choose from the extensive regularly priced offerings if its any other time, and we have yet to be disappointed. truthfully, in the way of food, I’ve only tried a couple samplings, but they have all been wonderful. the cheese boards are very good, and make for a cozy nibble, pairing well with our drinks. more than maybe the wine and the food, though, is the environment. it almost feels as if you are in some cool little pub… not overly loud or quiet, light or dark, snooty or common… it feels just right! seriously, if you are looking for a fun way to unwind with a friend or a good place for a date night– check this out!

I’ve always loved this Hillcrest location. Sufficient Grounds was tasty; the House made an awesome turkey burger; and Pantry Crest stepped it up a notch with a classy restaurant and interesting menu.
They’ve done a great job with the décor and atmosphere. It just looks clean and sophisticated, but not snooty or overly fancy (perfect for the Hillcrest crowd.) Our waitress was pretty fantastic, too. Friendly, efficient, informative.
We made it for happy hour and tried a few $ 4 appetizers: the bacon wrapped dates and cheese spaetzle. Both were small, albeit tasty. Loved the dates in particular.
The hubs had his usual burger, while I had the lasagna. Both were pretty good. I look forward to trying them again in the future.

Beautiful venue, attentive owner, and friendly staff. Overall an excellent experience with a few minor flaws. We started with the creamy deviled egg appetizer, which was good, but had a bit too much of a raw garlic flavor to it for my tastes. I went out on a limb and tried the El Presidente margarita, but the smokiness of the mezcal was too overpowering for me. I can’t wait to try some of the other signature cocktails though. For our entrees, we got the bratwurst and the turkey and avocado flatbread. The flatbread is seriously awesome. I wasn’t expecting it to be on a more cracker-​like bread with no cheese, but it was delicious. The pickled onions really make it. The bratwursts were great as well, but I was even more impressed by the homemade sauerkraut. We finished off with the tiramisu served with coffee gelato, and I will say it is the best I’ve ever had. Perfect way to end a meal.

Extremely friendly, personable service in the Hills of Little Rock. I particularly like the cheesecake and the bratwurst. Salad very flavorful. The owner is particularly interested in pleasing customers and has a East European background.
The location is near the medical center in a recently refurbished old mansion. Very arty décor. The food is very well-​prepared and done with care.

I remember when this place was Sufficient Grounds and it’s amazing what the crew at the Pantry did to this place. I really enjoyed the food here at The Pantry Crest and would recommend this place for those looking for dining options in the Hillcrest area of Little Rock. For appetizers, I tried both the Truffled Deviled Eggs and the Liver Pâté. The Truffled Deviled Eggs is light and full of flavor. However, I prefer my deviled eggs with some crunch from some sort of vegetables like celery, but I would still recommend it. The best appetizer, in my opinion, was the Liver Pâté. For the main meal, I had the Grilled Salmon which was cooked perfectly. Service wise, the waiter I had was great and very attentive.

What a gem is located in Little Rock! What a pleasant surprise that exceeded all expectations! Wonderful dining experience: innovative menu — delicious everything! So beautifully prepared: amazing combinations of freshest ingredients. (I had the bacon wrapped dates, recommended cheese appetizer and the Rustic Bowl — sooooo good!!!) Food tasted gourmet and comfort-​food-​good at the same time. Hats off to the chef. Great attentive service and stylish cozy ambiance complete the «just perfect!» experience. Thank you Pantry Crest. Wishing you much success and consistency in excellence for many years to come :-)

One of our favorite restaurants in town. Awesome food, service, and drinks! The owner, Tomas, is extremely nice and it shows that he cares about making sure his customers are happy and full. Try their delicious pizzas!

Came here to get a drink with a friend and stayed a lot longer than I expected. This is a nice, cozy little restaurant/​bar just behind UAMS. They had an excellent selection of beers on tap as well as a full bar. Multiple local beers from brewers like Lost 40 were available as well. The bartenders were friendly and efficient as well.
Unfortunately I didn’t have much in the way of food; we did get some bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer and they were wonderful. From the looks of what other patrons were getting the food looks great.
I’d recommend this place for an after work drink or social, it’s relatively quiet and just a nice place. Parking is a bit of an issue since it’s street only but at night you can probably get away with parking at the Kroger lot.

We dropped in for a quick drink and snack one day. I love the location and the environment, and I hope to go back sometime soon for a complete experience.
My only complaint would be that the server told us about happy hour after we had ordered our drinks. I have been a server in the past, and I feel that it’s always polite to let guests know about any specials in the beginning of the interaction.
Our food and drinks were great. We had the Rustic Bowl daily special, which included Salmon. I also had some sparkling wine. Had I know about happy hour, I would have chosen a different drink though. We’ll be back for sure.

Great food, great service and a great atmosphere. The bacon wrapped dates were amazing!

So far so good at the new location. Dinner on a busy Saturday night for two: cocktails, two of the Pantry’s wonderful, flavorful salads (we had the simply Leah’s and the grilled romaine — both excellent — the combo of pistachios and carrots in the Leah’s is soooo good, and the grill flavor on the romaine has me ordering it more often than not), then a shared dish of mussels, then a shared cheesecake and two coffees. One of the best meals we’ve had in Little Rock and the total was about 60 dollars. Don’t be afraid to tell them you want to share a plate — they are very accommodating. Great service. No complaints. The staff seems genuinely happy you are there. Feels like a nice dinner at a friend’s house. (GET. THE. CHEESECAKE.)